Tag: angiosperms

• Cotyledons are actually part of the seed. 
• They are the first part of the plant to emerge and they look like little green leaves (hence, "seed leaves"). 
• The cotyledons store food reserves for the growing seedling. The plant relies on this stored food for early growth. 
• The cotyledons also can photosynthesize, which supplies extra energy until the first true leaves emerge.

• The angiosperms are divided into two groups on the basis of the number of cotyledons present in the seed. 
• The plants with seeds having single cotyledons are known as monocots. The plants with seeds having two cotyledons are known as dicots.

Strobilanthes kunthiana (Neelakurinji) flower once in $12\ years$, its juvenile phase is very long. The last time this plant flowered during September-October $2006$. It is found in hilly area of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and attracts a large number of tourists due to mass flowering.

Vessel less angiosperms are: 

Bamboo can be monocarpic or polycarpic whereas Strobilanthes kunthiana is a monocarpic plant. The juvenile phase of bamboo can vary from 3-120 years and the juvenile phase of Strobilanthes kunthiana can vary from 8-16 years.

Meiosis takes place in reproductive organs of plants and young anthers are the best material to study meiosis.

Smallest angiosperm is Wolffia microscopici, while Rafflesia arnoldii is the parasitic plant with the world's largest flower.

Gymnosperms are seed-bearing plants but lack the specialized features  of flowering plants. The gymnosperms do not bear flowers hence the seeds are naked i.e these are not enclosed within fruits.